NOVEL WEB 7: Let the games begin!
It was the end of the 11th month of the year. The night of the red moon. What was so special about the red moon? The story says that long ago the very first Demon King fought a desperate battle. He was alone and surrounded by hundreds. Some say by thousands. It was that night that the Demon King unleashed all his power and went beyond what any mortal being can do. He slaughtered everyone that came his way. He alone spilled the blood of thousands. They say that he spilled so much blood that nigh, the sky became red and the moon became painted in blood. That sounds impossible, but that's the story. So since then, the red moon has always said to raise the power of Demon Kings. So, they must celebrate and pay their respects to the Demon God during a red moon. And so the Blood Ball was born.
I didn't care too much about the story. But Grace insisted I learn it. The ball I organized was special. If I were to describe it, it was like the high society gatherings back on Earth. Violin music, fancy tables and food, the works. Right now I was grabbing a bite to eat myself. I didn't physically need food, but it was too good not to taste. I don't care what anyone says, food must be enjoyed. I didn't notice, but a silhouette was staring at me before finally speaking.
"So, you are the new Demon King of Insanity and our host. I must say I am surprised. I took part in many balls, but there was never one so unique like yours!"
It was the voice of a woman. As she drew closer I was able to see her clearly. A woman possessing a voluptuous body figure, fair skin and short Nordic silver blonde hair. She wore an armor type dress that nearly exposed her entire body. The armor appears like claws groping her enormous breast while diamond-shaped scales cover her crotch area like an adhesive underwear. Again it was hard to not to stare. I mean her breasts were freaking huge. Maybe the same size as Empress Éclair. Her eyes were a deep sapphire blue. She was about the same height as Grace, but she was wearing high heels. Similar to mine, her shoes seems to have merged with her stockings, but they gave off a scaly feeling. I looked at her stats.
Name: Odin Asgardia
Age: 1019
Race: High Mazoku
Class: Demon King
Strenght: EX
Agility: SSS
Endurance: SSS
Magic: EX
Luck: S+
Overall Rank: SSS+
The one who approached me was the Demon King of Wisdom. Honestly I was rather shocked to see her stats. Mostly the EX level. There was a book in this library about parameters. They range from F to SSS. But there was also the EX stat. It stands for EXception. In short it just means 'too strong to be measured'. For now, let's try being polite and see her reaction. After all, I don't have to be hostile to everyone. And besides, she's fucking hot.
"Your words honor me, lady Asgardia."
"Oh please, don't stand on formality. Just call me Odin! All Demon Kings have the right to do so. There is something I want to ask you. May I?"
"If it's something I can answer, then I will. What do you want to know?"
"These magnificent crystal cups. And the containers used to serve us drinks. I think your maids called them bottles. What are they made off? They have various colors and some are even transparent. Even for me who can use the highest skill of ice type magic, creating something like that without influencing the taste of our drinks is fascinating."
As expected, nobody knows what the cups their drinking from are made of. It's the thing I had Lorina craft for me. Glass bottles and cups. When I first came to this world I noticed that there weren't any glasses. Drinks would be served from wooden or ceramic type cups and wine was stored in barrels. Nobility could afford to have silver and gold cups. But I went a step further and together with Lorina we made various shapes from glass. I could only describe the old fashioned process of making glass by blowing air through a hollow metal pipe will rotating it. It took many trials and errors, but Lorina was eager to make it happen and together we produced various glass containers.
"It is a special type of glass. Think of the glass from a window, but in a different shape."
"Oh! Amazing! Truly amazing. I never knew that such craftsmanship was hidden in the beastmen land. What is the process behind it?"
"I'm sorry, but that's a secret. However if you truly like them I could gladly arrange to make some and deliver them to you."
"I understand. I will certainly place an order. Maybe after the Ball is over, you could accompany to my territory to discuss other details. Allow me the privilege to get to know you better."
"Very well, but only if I can bring my personal maid with me."
"Yes, yes! That's not a problem at all."
I didn't trust her. But I felt like she didn't plan to harm me either. Since she's the Demon King of Wisdom, my guess is that she's just curious and wants to gather information. This might be a nice time to make an ally. Only 8 out of the 12 Demon Kings showed up. And from what Grace told me, alliances and factions were a big deal here, so it might be harder surviving alone. If this woman will be trustworthy, then maybe we can align our goals. Who knows, maybe I can convince her to let me suck on her massive tits. My whole head could fit in her cleavage.
After I parted with Odin I continued to nibble on food, but at the same time was analyzing my guests. More exactly I tried finding all the Demon Kings and read their stats. I was able to spend my time amusingly. It was quite interesting to be able to actually see how the Demon Kings looked like. They were quite different compared to fiction back on Earth.
Almost all the ones present here had 1 or 2 parameters in the EX range. But there was one guy that was abnormal. At first glance he seemed young and rather handsome. He wore a pitch black armor mixed with a tint of dark blue and with gold accents. He had sharp spikes on his shoulder plates. It would be more accurate to call them horns. He had a pair of crimson eyes similar to mine and long elegant blond hair. His skin had the color of chocolate and a pair of majestic horns. He had an imposing aura and for good reason.
Name: Ornis Balmund
Age: Unknown
Race: High Mazoku
Class: Demon King
Strength: EX
Agility: EX
Endurance: EX
Magic: EX
Luck: B
Overall Rank: EX
So this is the strongest man out of all the 12 Demon Kings. I understand why his title is Demon King of Despair. If a man with the power to carry a war all by himself were to face you, despair would be the only thing you would feel. He may look like he is letting his guard down, yet all my instincts are sending alarm bells to my body. This guy has no openings. I really better not piss this guy off. He's too much of a cheat existence.
"Well, it seems that against all odds, you managed to put together a decent gathering!"
I turned around to see the owner of the voice. It was a shady looking guy. The moment I saw him I wanted to kick him in his balls.
"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself, King Vacheron."
"I wouldn't say that I am enjoying myself. All the servants here are filthy beastmen. Anyone would have had the decency to hire proper Mazoku. Yet you associated yourself with this trash. It truly is sad."
"I ask that you refrain from such remarks."
Specially since you are the one who dumped this on me.
"But what I am saying is truth! Beastmen are the trash of the demon kingdom. The only reason they are allowed to live here is because of our founder's generosity. Anyone who associates with them is nothing more than…"
"Your Highness, I am warning you, please refrain yourself."
I still acted polite. This is your second warning, shit head. If you provoke me a third time I will have the right to retaliate. So, what's it gonna be?
"Very well. But, leaving the matter that you surrounded yourself with trash, there is still something I wish to discuss. The deadline for your payment is today. You owe me 10,000 gold coins. Since you managed this nice ball, you probably don't have much money left. So after the night I want you to come with me to my castle so we can establish ways to pay off your debt."
I kept silent. I let him talk all he wanted. All I did was let out a small snort. This idiot then continued, but this time he used a tone so that everyone around us would hear him.
"Lady Milla! I can't believe you! We made a contract. I gave you this land, so you can start your rule, and now you don't intend to pay your debt to me? It's outrageous! Have you no shame at all? First you surround yourself with filthy beastmen and now you refuse to repay the generosity I showed you. Where is your pride?"
All eyes were directed at me. This guy laid quite an elaborate trap. He made everyone here aware of the situation so that I wouldn't oppose him. Malice and satisfaction could be seen in his eyes. I guess it's time for the main event.
"Shut the fuck up, you bastard!"
When I raised my voice everyone went rather silent. Even this asshole had a dumb look on his face. I guess he wasn't expecting me to retaliate. Oh well, I warned him twice already. You wanted to play this game with me. Don't blame me for totally crushing you. Game on!